As we have previously posted, the PPYCC Gumber Bothy trip is coming up next weekend, and there are still places available to join us all for a fantastic club event. Please could you email Charlie if you would like to join the trip- charlie@ppycc.org.uk Full information below. Please could all those who have already indicated they would like to come email Charlie as well to ensure we have everyone’s details.

Saturday 9th – Sunday 10th September

After a break of seven years we are finally returning to Gumber Bothy for an end of summer bunkbarn camping trip.

This is very much a social event with cycling thrown in. We will also be inviting our friends at VC Jubillee and Solent Pirates to join us.

Gumber Bothy, up on the South Downs near Bignor, is a fantastic place to spend the night and we have been lucky enough to secure exclusive access for PPYCC. Check out the website

Just like in 2010 the idea is to arrive on bike by cycling along the South Downs Way. On the Sunday we will cycle home reversing the route. But all are welcome however you arrive. We will use a support vehicle to bring in food, sleeping bags and tents etc. There is no direct vehicular access to the site. The NT will bring our gear in from Slindon village. There will be a drop off point on Friday for any kit you would like transported to the Bothy, time and place to be confirmed next week

The route is almost entirely off road using the South Downs Way but we will ride for about 3 miles on the road. The only busy road section is a one mile ride from Amberley to Houghton which we will ride as a group with PPYCC coaches at the front and rear. The section of the South Downs Way we are riding is bumpy in a lot of places although there are some smooth grassy sections. The main challenge will be the four ascents and descents on route. The full 28 mile route is challenging and we do not recommend that any riders under 10 years or any riders with no mountain bike experience years attempt the full route. We may offer alternative start points at Washington or Amberley for younger riders and tag bike riders if required. Strong parents may be able to manage the whole route pulling a tag bike but it would be a long bumpy day on the back for a child! Experienced riders should be able to manage riding a low geared Cross bike. There is also an option of only riding one of the two legs. All children will need assigned, consented adult supervision. We will have vehicular support, if for any reason enroute anyone finds they are unable to complete the journey and needs picking up.

Below is a download of the route. we will leave from Preston Park around 10am

Tom and Lukas have made the decision to postpone their Everest challenge until Thursday, 31st August, due to heavy rain forecast for tomorrow.

Tom and Lukas will be starting their challenge at 5am on Thursday, supported by fellow club members, friends and family, with technical and cycling support from Proper Cycling. If you are in the area, please go and give them a cheer on the day, any support would be very gratefully received, especially encouraging cheers (or maybe even joining them for an climb or 2!) later on in the afternoon as they start to feel the miles!

On Wednesday 30th August PPYCC members Tom Pughe-Morgan (age 14) from Plumpton Green and Lukas Nerurkar (age 13) from Hangleton, both keen cyclists who have competed in regional and national road and track competitions throughout the season, are attempting an Everest challenge on Ditchling Beacon.

What is Everesting?– Everesting involves riding repeatedly up a single hill until a total climb equivalent to the height of Everest is achieved (8848 meters). This equates to more than 60 climbs of Ditchling Beacon. It must be done in one session – you can have as many breaks as you like but not stop to sleep. Tom and Lukas have been practicing, below are pictures from their recent effort of 20 Beacon climbs!

Smiling at the top of the Beacon!

Tom and Lukas will be starting at 5am on 30th August. The boys are hoping to complete the challenge in approximately 15 hours.

Tom and Lukas will be supported by fellow club members, friends and family, with technical and cycling support from Proper Cycling. If you are in the area, please go and give them a cheer on the day, any support would be very gratefully received, especially encouraging cheers (or maybe even joining them for an climb or 2!) later on in the afternoon as they start to feel the miles!

They are raising funds for ‘Nepal Youth Foundation’ http://www.nepalyouthfoundation.org.uk/ as they would like to do something to help other young people less fortunate than themselves in Nepal, the location of the real Mount Everest.

National Youth Circuit series
Last Sunday hosted the final round of the British Cycling National Youth Circuit Series at Olivers Mount International Motorcycle Circuit, Scarborough. The circuit has a top and bottom split. The climb back up Olivers Mount is very tough, twice as steep as Ditchling Beacon but thankfully only about 250m long but then continues to drag uphill a further 300m to the finish.

U12 boys ready for the start of their race, the background of the picture gives an idea of the altitude!

There is nothing quite like it in any other Youth race in the UK and as well as being a National Series event it attracts riders from Scotland, Wales and Brighton for that very reason.

Luke taking a corner in the U12’s

PPYCC was represented by Luke Goodwill in the U12’s and Lukas Nerurkar in the U14’s. Luke says that the course was not technically difficult, but this was more than made up for in effort with the killer hill! The racing was fast!

A huge congratulations to Luke, who came 3rd overall in the race, the best position achieved by a PPYCC rider in the series this year!

Luke claiming his prize!

Velo Club Venta Summer Criterium

PPYCC second claim member George Pittock continued his recent good form with victory at the latest Velo Club Venta Summer Criterium U16 Boys race at Winchester on Sunday.

With a smaller entry than usual, because of holidays and the Scarborough nationals, the organisers ran the U14 and U16 races together. George, “fresh” from his own holiday and some big climbs in the French Alps, felt confident and attacked on the second of 20 laps. Nobody went with him and George settled back into the bunch, never lower than second or third wheel, and occasionally attacking off the front.

George made a decisive move with two and a half laps to go and opened up a significant gap. The chasing group were unable to close the gap and George came home for a memorable victory ahead of Matthew Houlberg and Owen Giles in second and third respectively and both of Portsmouth North End CC.

A holiday isn’t a holiday without some racing! Monday night racing at the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome in Marymoor Park WA was introduced to the colours of PPYCC in fine style this week when Alfie joined in with the regular Monday night racing slot for youth and mens cat 4.

The night’s events

Starting out with a six lap scratch race on the concrete four hundred metre velodrome, the bunch of seven riders stayed mostly together until the start of the penultimate lap when one of the regular racers launched his attack followed by Alfie and one other. Keeping with the attacking group Alfie pushed his own attack about halfway round the last lap and managed to win with a few bike lengths to spare.

In the bunch

Next up was the Belgian Win and Out, a race new to Alfie where the positions are won on each lap in reverse order from 4th upwards, until the last lap when first place is awarded to the winner and 5th place down to everyone else. Alfie decided he would go for glory, letting all but three other riders take the 4th to 2nd places. At the start of the last lap the bunch sped up as a group with Alfie managing to pull away slowly but surely to take a win by a bike length or so.

Winning the win and out!

Not on the schedule the next race was the infamous “Marymoor Crawl”. A “slow race” starting 100m from the finish line and finishing with a one lap dash from the bell for any riders remaining. A really fun race, other riders not in the event line the trackside waving dollar bills to “tempt” riders closer to the finish line prematurely! Alfie missed the money and couldn’t keep his trackstand going long enough not to cross the finish line! Oh well!

At the rail for the Marymoor Crawl

The final race was the points race, points every three laps over nine laps. Alfie started well, pushing the pace hard off the front from the second lap to reduce the advantage of the better sprinters. He had a good fight with one of the other riders who just pipped him on the first points lap, and by about half a wheel on the second. For the final double points lap Alfie had started to run out of steam and took third place, which joined him second on points with the second place finisher but, of course, meant he had to settle for third.

On the rail

We had a really great time at the JBMV, a really friendly welcome from riders and organisers alike. With four nights of racing a week we’d recommend a visit to watch, or even join in some racing if you happen to be in the Seattle area.

Both Inner and Outer Ring sessions return to the Velodrome as normal this week, following our break last week because of Pride!

Inner Ring: Sign on at 8.45, ready to ride at 9am, with skills focussing on co-ordination and balance, followed by racing until 10.30am!

Outer Ring: Sign on at 10.15, ready to ride at 10.30. The session will be a final track bike session of the season, weather permitting. We will post any changes to this (i.e. session on road, not track bikes) if the weather is damp, by 09.30am on Saturday morning

Developed by the Mayor of London and his agencies in 2013, Prudential RideLondon is a world-class festival of cycling, and is a legacy from the 2012 London Olympic Games, in it’s 5th year in 2017.

The Grand Prix road races for boys and girls in under 14 and under 16 age categories are on the opening day of “the world’s greatest festival of cycling” with the Prudential RideLondon Classique, the women’s pro race and the Brompton World Championships on Saturday, and the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, the men’s pro race on Sunday, both part of the UCI World Tour and attracting the world’s top cyclists. Amateur cyclists are also able to tackle the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 and 46 mile routes, on the same closed roads as the professional men. There is also a day of traffic free London, with 10 miles of closed roads for all to enjoy on the Saturday.

The Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix

The first winner of the afternoon was Natalie Bloomer of London, who finished just ahead of Rosie Finucane of Wales and Izzy Brickell of South region in 44:40 to take the U14 Girls race and claim the first of a clean sweep of victories for the London region.

In the U14 boys, Rahul Fortescue Talwar represented PPYCC in the South East Regional Team, along with Lance Chlds and Jack Hill of Thanet, and Joe Blackmore of Herne Hill CC. It was a very close race, with the top 22 riders all finishing within one second of each other. Billy Gilbey from London took the win in the tight bunch finish, closely followed by Tom Sharples of Eastern region and Innes Harvey of London in second and third respectively. Lance missed out on a top ten finish with 11 th place in 46:17, Rahul finished 18th overall in 46:18, narrowly missing the only crash of the day in the final (fast and furious and very tight) sprint, which involved his team mate, Joe Blackmore. Luckily all involved escaped with grazes and managed to finish over the line.

Rahul in the middle of the peloton, U14 boys

The U16 Girls race, was won by Kate Wootton of London, an Olympic Development Apprentice, who saw off the challenge of British national champion Emma Finucane in another close finish, with Eve Barrow of Eastern region and Danielle Parker from Wales finishing second and third.

In the U16’s boys, the South East had 2 teams, with PPYCC well represented by Tom Pughe Morgan and Finn Anderson Grout, along with second claim member George Pittock, in the 4 man team, and Adam Churchill and Luca Stone riding with VCL rider George Sloan in the second U16 boys team.

Adam Churchill, in turquoise of the 2nd U16 boys SE Region team, at the head of the race

George Pittock was one of a number of riders who attacked off the front of the U16 Boys
race, but the winner Finley Newmark made his move down the outside on the final straight
to finish ahead of fellow Londoner Louis Bilyard, with George Mills-Keeling of the West
Midlands in third. Adam rode strongly in the peloton, finishing 15th and George 18th in the biggest field of the day (53 riders) both riders just one second behind the winner. Luca finished 36th, with Finn 40th. Unfortunately Tom was involved in an incident in the final sprint, and was pushed on to the grass, slowing him down considerably before he managed to get back on to the track, finishing 50th overall.

Finn (above) and George (below) in the fastest and largest race of the day

Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle

PPYCC was represented by rider Stan Wilson, and his dad, PPYCC volunteer Paul, on the 8 miles of closed roads on Saturday!

Unfortunately, this week we have had to make the decision to cancel both sessions on Saturday 5th August. This is because of Pride weekend, for which Preston Park is used as the venue. Increasing noise and traffic from early Saturday morning makes it difficult to manage the sessions comfortably.

Instead of a road/track session this week, why not join our sister club, VC Jubilee, for a moutain biking experience! VCJ will be holding their monthly Stanmer Park MTB coaching and ride session at Stanmer Park this Saturday, and all PPYCC riders are very welcome. Riders and coaches meet at the North Pavilion Car Park at 09.00am, with the session finishing at 12.00. Details at:

Whilst PPYCC riders have been competing in regional and national races over the season, PPYCC held Round 3 of the Go-Ride Regional InterClub Cluster Races on 8th July. This series gives riders who are new to, or developing skills and confidence in, racing, the opportunity to experience cycle competitions.

Excellent efforts on the line for the U12’s!

The PPYCC event was well attended, and it was great to see so many of our younger riders enjoying the morning, and really putting their all into each of their races.

Sprint for the finish in U10’s

Riders raced 3 races within each of their age groups, and were awarded points for their positions in each race, the overall winners gaining the most points. We had a prize ceremony at the end of the event, with prizes awarded to boys and girls within each age group.

Alfie and Louis battling it out in the U12’s

The clubs are awarded overall points in the Inter Club competition, and PPYCC are first!! The Regional final is coming up on 23rd September, to be held at Cyclopark, Kent. Details will be coming soon! Please follow the link below for full results of the competition/results: